I must jump in as another Krag enthusiast. I'm not all that much of a great hunter, but I have a '96, probably a Bannerman conversion, that I have carried for a lot of miles and just love it. Mine has a Redfield "no drill" receiver sight that is great for snap shooting.
There are tens of thousands of used Krags in "sporter" configuration, worked on by the great masters on the high end (few & pricey) to Bubba in the basement on the low end (plentiful & in the $200-$400 range).
There are 3 slightly different types of US-made Krag actions.
1. Those marked with the year only (no "Model") are either 1892s or 1892s with some 1896 modifications.
2. The Model 1896 has a slot machined into the rear of the right side of the action. It makes a little box to hold the bolt handle. The 1896 would be my 1st choice. Just a little classier.
3. Model 1898. Marked as such. The little box to hold the bolt handle was eliminated.
Many Krags are great cast bullet rifles. The bore has to be good and the bullet needs to be a thou or two over groove diameter. The critical part is the chamber neck. The neck must be big enough to allow you to smoothly chamber a case with the proper diameter cast bullet.
If you find one that appears to be in some sort of military condition, leave it for the collectors of such things.
Last edited by waterman; 05/16/14 09:13 PM.
